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Five Paragraph Essay Sample

The Hazards of Moviegoing Introductory paragraph (Hook) (Thesis) (Blueprint) First supporting paragraph I am a movie fanatic. When friends want to know what picture won the Oscar in 1980 or who played the police chief in Jaws, they ask me. My friends, though, have stopped asking me if I want to go out to the movies. I have decided that the idea of going to the movie theater to see a movie is overrated, so I've quit going. The problems in getting to the theater, the theater itself, and the behavior of some patrons are all reasons why I often wait for a movie to show up on TV. First of all, just getting to the theater presents difficulties. Leaving a home equipped with a TV and a video recorder isn't an attractive idea on a humid, cold, or rainy night. Even if the weather cooperates, there is still a thirty-minute drive to the theater down a congested highway, followed by the hassle of looking for a parking space. And then there are the lines. After hooking yourself to the end of a human chain, you worry about whether there will be enough tickets, whether you will get seats together, and whether many people will sneak into the line ahead of you. Once you have made it to the box office and gotten your tickets, you are confronted with the problems of the theater itself. If you are in one of the run-down older theaters, you must adjust to the musty smell of seldom-cleaned carpets. Escaped springs lurk in the faded plush or cracked leather seats, and half the seats you sit in seem loose or tilted so that you sit at a strange angle. The newer twin and quad theaters offer their own problems. Sitting in an area only one-quarter the size of a regular theater, moviegoers often have to put up with the sound of the movie next door. This is especially jarring when the other movie involves racing cars or a karate war and you are trying to enjoy a quiet love story. And whether the theater is old or new, it will have floors that seem to be coated with rubber cement. By the end of a movie, shoes almost have to be pried off the floor because they have become sealed to a deadly compound of spilled soda, hardening bubble gum, and crushed Ju-Jubes. Some of the patrons are even more of a problem than the theater itself. Little kids race up and down the aisles, usually in giggling packs. Teenagers try to impress their friends by talking back to the screen, whistling, and making what they consider to be hilarious noises. Adults act as if they were at home in their own living rooms and comment loudly on the ages of the stars or why movies aren't as good anymore. And people of all ages crinkle candy wrappers, stick gum on their seats, and drop popcorn tubs or cups of crushed ice and soda on the floor. They also cough and burp, squirm endlessly in their seats, file out for repeated trips to the rest rooms or concession stand, and elbow you out of the armrest on either side of your seat.

Second supporting paragraph

Third supporting paragraph

Concluding paragraph (Reworded Thesis) (Summary) (Clincher)

After arriving home from the movies one night, I decided that I was not going to be a moviegoer anymore. I was tired of the problems involved in getting to the movies and dealing with the theater itself and some of the patrons. The next day I arranged to have cable TV service installed in my home. I may now see movies a bit later than other people, but I'll be more relaxed watching box office hits in the comfort of my own living room.

Print this out- it will serve as a great reference for you during this course. Hook Introductory Paragraph (1) Thesis Blueprint The purpose of this sentence is to grab the reader's attention--why should they read this piece of writing? An effective gimmick often used is to begin with a question which leads into your thesis sentence (this may take 1 or 2 sentences). This sentence is the very essence, the heart of your five-paragraph essay. It is a sentence that states your main idea or belief, which you are to prove and support when writing your essay This is a rough plan or overview of the specific topics you are going to talk about to support your thesis (this is the source of your topic sentences).

After the&quot; introduction&quot;, you will create several new paragraphs--what is known as the &quot;body&quot; of the essay. The purpose of the body is to provide the information which explains/supports your thesis sentence.

First Body Paragraph (2) Topic Sentence Specific Support Specific Support Specific Support Topic Sentence Second Body Paragraph (3) Specific Support Specific Support Specific Support Topic Sentence Third Body Paragraph (4) Specific Support Specific Support Specific Support This sentence will include one important aspect of your thesis sentence. Make it interesting! This sentence will give a specific example which validates (proves, supports, etc.) the topic sentence for THIS paragraph. This sentence will give a different specific example validating the topic sentence for THIS paragraph. This sentence will give a yet one more specific example--different from the last two! -- validating the topic sentence for THIS paragraph. This sentence will begin your third overall paragraph--following the introduction and first &quot;body&quot; paragraph. This sentence will include a DIFFERENT important aspect of your thesis sentence. This sentence will give a specific example which validates (proves, supports, etc.) the topic sentence for THIS paragraph. This sentence will give a different specific example validating the topic sentence for THIS paragraph. This sentence will give a yet one more specific example--different from the last two! -- validating the topic sentence for THIS paragraph. If you are asked to write a 5 paragraph essay, this sentence will begin your final &quot;body&quot; paragraph. You will again create a sentence using a final point that was part of your initial blueprint sentence. This sentence will give a specific example which validates (proves, supports, etc.) the topic sentence for THIS paragraph. This sentence will give a different specific example validating the topic sentence for THIS paragraph. This sentence will give a yet one more specific example--different from the last two! -- validating the topic sentence for THIS paragraph.

The final paragraph is always the &quot;conclusion&quot;. The sentences can be in any order. This paragraph should briefly summarize what you wrote in your essay, but should NOT contain any new ideas, evidence, etc..

Concluding Paragraph (5) Reworded Thesis Summary Clincher This sentence is almost identical to your thesis, just said in a different way so as not to be repetitive. This is where you summarize your essay and how it applies to your thesis (this may take 1 or 2 sentences). This is where you state your opinion, prediction, etc. which is based on the information found in the rest of the essay, basically personalizing your findings (this may take 1 or 2 sentences).

The introductory paragraph sentences can be in any order.

**Be sure to insert appropriate transitions--both words and sentences, as needed--in order to ensure that the ideas &quot;flow.&quot;